Wigan 1 – 2 Everton

This was a game in which the soggy pitch contributed to the pace of the game as much as the efforts of the teams.

The early stages saw a lot of tentative long balls as no one wanted to risk taking the ball down on a surface that was already beginning to cut up. Wigan had most of the early play and were winning the physical battles around the pitch with Everton pinned in their own half for most of the opening quarter hour.

Palacios was doing particularly well for the home side, making space and shooting in the opening minutes. He was again active down the Wigan right on 7mins only for Heskey to head his cross well wide.

Everton enjoyed a good spell following the early Wigan pressure, earning some free kicks in dangerous positions. On 16mins a good move saw Johnson pull back for Arteta only for the Spaniard to shoot straight at Kirkland. However this was a rare instance when Johnson saw some support up front as Wigan were back on top again.

Bents header form a corner, on 21mins, was the closest the home side came in the first half but that effort was clawed onto the bar by Howard. Minutes later Valencia had a dangerous looking shot from the edge of the area only for Cahill to get him body in the way.

Wigan were dominating possession but Johnson was as busy as ever for Everton and fashioned a chance on 33mins as he got on the end of a long punt only to flash a shot across the goal and wide.

5 minutes later a slip from Bramble let the Toffee’s striker in and he made no mistake as he went one-on-one and coolly slotted between Kirkland’s legs to give Everton the lead.

The visitors played even deeper following this as Wigan had all the play but on 41mins a breakout earned Everton a corner. Wigan failed to clear and the ball came to Lescott on the back post who directed it home to give the Merseysiders an unlikely tow goal advantage going into the break.

Steve Bruce brought on Koumas and Sibierski at half time and the changes had an impact. Despite soaking up much of the pressure, on 53mins a Koumas free-kick was put into his own net by Jaglielka to give the home side some hope.

What followed was sustained attacking by Wigan, with Valencia seeing a lot of the ball, and Everton almost losing their composure at times. The away side weathered the storm and indeed it was they who came closest to scoring, on 66mins, as Arteta’s cross found Osman who’s half-volley went just wide.

Johnson was still doing a great job up o his own as Everton began to look more and more comfortable as the game went on. On 75mins the visitors went 4-4-2 with the introduction of the teenager James Vaughan and with that they began looking dangerous on the break.

The home side tried to build a head of steam on the closing stages and brought on another forward in the shape of Aghahowa. They came the closest when Kilbane got on the end of a free kick but his shot was well wide.

In the end it was a professional away performance by Everton but Wigan can take heart form their application and the spirit they showed.

Movie Round-up

Fantastic Four (2005 / USA)

Having seen this universally panned and derided I was expecting much worse than what is still no more than average superhero fare. Every aspect is quite competent and a whole lot more entertaining than Superman Returns or Transformers. Although like the latter it really is just one for the kids.

The Eye 2 (2004 / Hong Kong)

Well made and with decent production values as you would expect from the Pang Brothers. This pseudo horror starts well with some anxious scenes but loses something when later it tries to search for explanations and confrontations in a similar fashion to the prequel.

Last King of Scotland (2006 / UK)

A great film only let down by a lead character that never gains your affection as his naivety and innocence comes across as arrogance and ignorance. Magnificent performance by Forest Whittaker.

Elektra (2005 / USA)

Martial arts nonsense with decent special effects and enjoyable action scenes amidst all the eastern mysticism hokum. Still pales in comparison to its Asian counterparts.

Chelsea 2 - 1 Everton

Definitely a semi-final to remember as both teams gave their all for a day out at Wembley.

Chelsea began like they meant business and almost caught the visitor’s unfamiliar side out early on but Wright-Philips shot sailed high and wide.

Everton were playing very deep and couldn’t get going as Chelsea were linking up brilliantly and looking dangerous with every attack. The Toffee’s were defending with their usual doggedness though and were keeping the home sides shots to a minimum.

Everton were just starting to come in to it when on 25mins Wright-Philips got the ball in an acre of space on the edge of the box(following Cahill’s abandonment of his defensive duties), was allowed to turn and bent a beautiful shot in by the far post to give Chelsea a deserved lead.

It looked like they were going to put the tie out of site as they continued to apply pressure. Ballack coming within inches from a free-kick on 28mins the best of the chances in another period of flowing passing and movement form Chelsea.

Everton gradually began battling their way in to it more and more. McFadden and Johnson getting more involved in the stead of their usual playmakers Arteta and Pienaar.

Their best move of the half released Lescott on the left only for the full-back to put his cross too close to Hilario with 3 Everton attackers lurking.

Chelsea were winning the key midfield battles particularly Wright-Philips in his free role escaping Carsley at will whilst Mikel wasn’t giving a deep-lying Johnson much room to manoeuvre at the other end.

Chelsea began the second half similar to the first as they again had Everton’s defence stretched. But on 54mins the game changed dramatically when Mikel was harshly given a straight red for showing his studs in a tackle with Neville.

Everton got an immediate lift from their sudden numerical advantage and kept themselves on the fornt foot as Chelsea struggled to re-organise.

Still though, Pizarro should’ve added to the home side’s lead minutes later when he was though on goal but failed to get his shot past Howard.

Everton’s pressure mounted and on 63mins they had something to show for it. McFadden’s fre-kick was knocked down by Yobo into the path of Yakubu and the in-form striker dispatched an excellent volley into the top left-hand corner.

This spurred the away side on even more as they really began taking the game to Chelsea. On 68mins Yakubu’s clever backheel played in McFadden, who rounded Carlvalho and Hilario only for his shot to clip the post.

The high tempo continued as Chelsea fought their way back into the game as the tackles were coming thick and fast. It was end-to-end, pulsating football with Chelsea beginning to find themselves with the initiative late on.

Everton looked resolute in defence with Lescott and Yobo beyond reproach. However, during a late push against a deep Everton defence, Ballack hooked the ball over his head and into the box. Lescott challenged Wrigth-Philips at the far post but ended up putting the ball into his own net making it 2-1 on 92mins.

But the game wasn’t finished as Everton feeling hard-done-by bombed forward. On 94mins Lescott could have made up for his error when McFadden put him one on one with Hilario but the defender failed to control his shot as Hilario rushed out to save.

Great drama and entertainment for the neutral but a sickener for Everton

Arsenal 2 – 1 Spurs

It was unsurprisingly all Arsenal from the off with Flamini and Toure both having half chances that they didn’t take within the opening 5mins. It was an open game though and Spurs did gradually begin to have some attacking spells of their own.

It was at these times when Arsenal looked like they may create something on the break as Spurs were looking unusually sturdy and hard to breakdown otherwise.

A rare penetrative move, on 33mins, saw Eboue draw a save from Robinson at his near post but it was hardly vintage Arsenal.

Spurs enjoyed a good spell of possession before the break with Boateng’s dipping shot going just over the bar. Toure’s header form a corner, on 42mins, was the closest either team came to breaking the deadlock in what was a disappointing first half.

Arsenal began the second half with much greater intensity and after just two minutes they had the lead. Fabregas was at the helm of a move that tore the visitors apart and it was his back-heel that found Adebayor in the box for the Togolese striker to coolly slot home.

Arsenal didn’t really push on for a second but looked comfortable until the 64^th minute when Keane got in behind only to volley over. A minute later Spurs had an equaliser when Berbatov blasted into the roof of the net form a tight angle following some slack defending form the hosts.

Spurs were looking in confident mood following this and on 71mins they had a penalty after Toure dived in on Berbatov in the box. The resulting penalty was to change the game as Almunia denied Keane from the spot.

Just 3mins later Arsenal had a goal of their own. Bendtner, just on the pitch, rose to meet a corner kick and with his first touch powers a header past Robinson.

The home side, perhaps sensing they were riding their luck, began to play deeper following this but all Spurs could muster of note was a long range effort form Huddlestone on 84mins as they tried to go for one last push.

It wasn’t a classic but it does show that Arsenal can win whilst not at their best and that Spurs are definitely improving under Ramos